The County Mayor, Cllr Thomas Welby, has this week launched Social Inclusion Awareness Week in Clann Family Resource Centre, Oughterard, an event which was held in conjunction with the launch of the ‘Out and Proud’ Road Show.
The Social Inclusion Awareness Week creates awareness for people and communities who traditionally have been excluded from everyday life. The ‘Out and Proud’ Road Show is a colourfully decorated bus which celebrates the inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT ) people. The bus creates awareness of LGBT issues and provides information about supports and services that are available.
Speaking at the joint launch Mayor Welby said that the bus will “hopefully help to create a visibility for the LGBT community and provide information about supports and services that are available for people that need them. It’s very appropriate that Social Inclusion Awareness Week is being jointly launched with the ‘Out and Proud’ Road Show as the LGBT community have a long history of discrimination and exclusion”.
After the launch on Monday the bus visited the towns of Loughrea, Gort, Headford and Ballygar. The ‘Out and Proud’ Road Show is organised by the LGBT Family Resource Centre (FRC ) West Network with the shOUT! LGBT Youth Group from Youth Work Ireland, Galway.
Social Inclusion Awareness Week, organised by Galway County Council, runs from October 15 to 21 with more than 35 events taking place around County Galway. A full programme of events is available on Galway County Council’s website www.galway.ie/socialinclusion